'Avengers 4' Ancient One Theory Explains a 'Captain Marvel' Plot Hole
If Nick Fury had the pager needed to contact Captain Marvel this whole time, then why did he wait until the post-credits scene of Avengers: Infinity War to call her? She could’ve been a big help in the Battle of New York or some other catastrophe, so why wait? One new Avengers 4 fan theory posits that Fury knew exactly when he was supposed to call Captain Marvel, and it’s because the Ancient One told him his future.
Two separate but related theories popped up on Reddit this week to reach the same conclusion. The first, from redditor sjvkrgr1, recognizes that in the Infinity War post-credits scene, Fury “knows what’s going on” and remains calm. “He even has this beat that seems to say ‘here we go,’” sjvkrgr1 notes.
When Fury realizes what's going on, he has a reaction that makes it seem like he knows exactly what's happening.
After seeing Maria Hill disintegrate, he has a look of realization. Him paging Captain Marvel isn’t a desperate, last-minute resort. It’s the deliberate action of a man who knew this would happen. The pager is even stored for easy access in his duffle bag already, like he’s had the date and time marked in his calendar.
Throughout the MCU, Fury isn’t one for meaningful connections, and yet sjvkrgr1 notes a scene from Age of Ultron when Fury says that he “cares very much” about Stark. Why? The redditor argues, “I think Captain Marvel will show us that Fury has either a) seen/heard of/been told the future where a man named Iron Man will save the universe, or b) has seen a Snappening before to some degree.”
Perhaps Nick Fury always knew how important Iron Man would be to the events of Avengers 4? Fury spent so much time and energy recruiting and helping Tony Stark all these years because he knew what was coming. So preparing for the day he’d have to page Captain Marvel to come and help Iron Man was the last time he’d save the world.
If that is the case, then how did Nick Fury know what would happen?
Tilda Swinton's Ancient One might be dead since 'Doctor Strange', but what she saw of the future could mean everything.
Here’s How the Ancient One Could Factor Into Avengers 4 and/or Captain Marvel
A second Reddit theory from bluecoloredlenses builds upon the first by theorizing that Fury once tracked down the Ancient One and learned of the future. Throughout the MCU, he’s kept tabs on all superpowered individuals. If a desperate doctor with broken hands could manage to find her, the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. could certainly do the same.
Her ability to see into the future is also firmly established in Doctor Strange, and it could stem from either her drawing upon the Dark Dimensions or through using the Time Stone:
Going back to the Dr. Strange movie there is an important conversation between the Ancient One and Strange. She knows she is dying and can’t see any part of her future beyond that point, but offers to tell Stephen what will happen in his future beyond that time. Rather than explicitly state what will happen she says “only possibilities” and that he “has such a capacity for good”.
When Doctor Strange uses the Time Stone on Titan, he says, “I went forward in time to see all the possible outcomes of the present situation.” The language is reminiscent of the Ancient One saying before she died, “I’ve spent so many years peering through time … I’ve prevented countless terrible futures, and after each one, there’s always another.”
Doctor Strange and the Ancient One talk about seeing through time on the astral plane before she dies.
Redditor bluecoloredlenses thinks that at one point before the MCU got started, Fury tracked down the Ancient One and their encounter helped combat the “terrible future” presented in Infinity War. “She has looked to the future and knew [Fury] was coming and not as a student, but as a key piece in saving the world one day.”
Similar to how the Ancient One told Doctor Strange that he needed Mordo’s help to defeat Dormammu — which she was right about — the Ancient One probably told Fury exactly what he needed to know:
“When Fury arrives she tells him that the person he trusted (or will trust) that caused him to lose an eye will one day be the one to save earth, and that he must have a means to contact her at the last moment before his own death.”
Could the Ancient One Cameo in Captain Marvel?
We already know that Captain Marvel will take place in the ‘90s and include a younger Nick Fury with both his eyes. Assume someone does alert Nick Fury as to what the future holds and gives him the ability to reach Carol Danvers under these special circumstances, the Ancient One is pretty much the only character we know in the MCU that can see the future, unless some other master of the mystic arts also uses the Time Stone.
Captain Marvel will have to explain how Fury connects to Carol Danvers and where she’s been all this time, so it does seem at least possible for the Ancient One to play a role. If this theory does turn out to be true, then an Ancient One cameo in the Captain Marvel post-credits scene would be the perfect way to explain how Nick Fury knew exactly when to page Carol Danvers.
Captain Marvel will be released on March 6, 2019 with Avengers 4 coming May 3, 2019.
